As soon as the words fell, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Then, a strange light, one that did not belong to a child, flashed in that little boy’s eyes.
He suddenly clenched his fists, his thin frame like an enraged little beast, charging straight at Su Ling.
Su Ling furrowed her brows and shifted her body slightly, avoiding his attack.
The little boy missed, lost his balance, and crashed heavily to the ground, letting out a dull thud.
Thud——
“Tommy, you mustn’t be so rude.” Moria Anderson’s voice sounded at just the right moment, tinged with reproach.
The little boy still said nothing.
He clumsily climbed up from the floor and stood once more beside Moria, his gaze vacant.
Su Ling felt a jumble of emotions in her heart.
She took a deep breath, trying hard to calm herself.
Judging by the situation, she knew there was no way she’d be able to leave today, she could only obey Moria’s orders.
So, she turned to face Moria, bowed slightly, and said in as calm a voice as she could, “Understood. I’ll come with you now.”
When Su Ling handed the tray to Tommy, she gave him a few quiet instructions, telling him to be especially careful delivering breakfast to Her Highness Sista, then walked over to stand before Moria.
Moria smiled, beckoned her with a wave, and started off in a certain direction.
Her golden hair shimmered with a soft luster in the morning light.
Su Ling lowered her head and followed behind, occasionally stealing a glance upward.
“Are you wondering why I invited you?” Moria’s voice echoed down the empty corridor, carrying a subtle, hard-to-detect undertone.
Su Ling was slightly taken aback, then replied respectfully, “Yes, Your Highness. I am but an ordinary maid in the Castle. Though I am always prepared to serve Your Highness, my status is lowly, I truly cannot imagine what would make me worthy of such a special invitation.”
“Heh,” Moria let out a soft laugh, “Whether someone is valuable isn’t determined solely by status. Do you remember our conversation in the Garden that day?”
“I remember.”
“It was a pleasant chat, and I found you to be a very insightful servant. I’d like to talk with you more.”
“Your Highness flatters me. I was just speaking casually—I never expected to earn your approval.”
“Sometimes, what one says offhand reflects their truest thoughts best.” Moria shook her head lightly. “We’ve arrived. Let’s go inside and have a good talk.”
With that, Moria pushed open an ornate, intricately decorated door ahead.
Inside was a spacious, elegant room.
Sunlight streamed through exquisite glass windows, and in the center of a cashmere carpet sat a tea table with spiral patterns.
It looked like a small tea parlor.
Since she wasn’t responsible for cleaning this area, it was Su Ling’s first time here.
Moria sat down carelessly in an armchair and signaled with her gaze for Su Ling to come to her side.
“Let’s continue our last conversation, shall we?”
Su Ling nodded.
Moria still wore that same harmless smile, her tone gentle toward her servant.
Yet Su Ling faintly sensed that being summoned here was definitely not just for idle chat.
So-called ‘insightful’ was just an excuse—she was merely a puppet in the Court, utterly ordinary.
For Princess Moria, who had just returned from the border and reclaimed management from Sista, even in boredom, she would hardly seek out such a maid for small talk.
“You said then, the most beautiful thing in the world is procreation.” Moria rested her chin on one hand, looking Su Ling up and down. “Why do you think so?”
Su Ling thought for a while.
“Because procreation is continuation,” she said, her eyelids lowering. “The continuation of life, the continuation of a nation, the continuation of history. All precious things in this world are produced, accumulated, and crystallized over time. So when Your Highness asked me that question, procreation was the first thing that came to mind.”
“So that’s how you think. A very good perspective.” Moria clapped her hands.
“Though you are just a servant, such insight is truly surprising.”
No… there’s really nothing special about these views, Su Ling complained inwardly.
“Your Highness overpraises me,” she said aloud, keeping up her façade of innocence. “They’re just shallow thoughts of mine—I hope I haven’t made you laugh.”
“Not only are your ideas fresh, your character is so humble! No wonder Sista chose you as her personal maid. She does have an eye for people.”
Moria seemed very pleased with Su Ling’s humility.
She stood up, walked over, and gently placed a hand on Su Ling’s shoulder, gazing into her eyes.
“The continuation of life, the continuation of a nation, the continuation of history… these are the most beautiful things in the world.” Her rosy lips parted, repeating Su Ling’s words in a soft murmur. “Is that what Sista thinks as well?”
Su Ling paused briefly, then quietly sighed in her heart.
“I’m sorry. I don’t really understand Her Highness Sista’s thoughts.”
“You don’t… I see. So she’s never spoken to you about these things.” Moria extended a finger, her blood-red nail gently lifting Su Ling’s chin. “But surely Sista had a reason for choosing you as her personal maid? Su Ling, I deeply appreciate your thinking. I wonder, what is it about you that my sister—Sista—appreciates?”
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. Her Highness Sista has never mentioned this to me either,” Su Ling replied calmly.
Moria was still smiling, but it was clear that beneath that smile, displeasure was building.
“She hasn’t even told you that? My sister really isn’t good at communicating. It must be hard for you, being her servant.” Her fingers kept moving upward, nails grazing across Su Ling’s face. “In that case, I’ll have to look after her more closely, and remind those around my sister to be more tolerant of her. Do you know who she usually associates with in the Court?”
“I’m only responsible for Her Highness’s daily meals and living arrangements. Social activities are not within my duties, so I do not know.”
“You don’t want to tell me, do you?”
The voice across from her suddenly turned cold, carrying a powerful sense of oppression, as though it could pierce right into her heart.
Su Ling bowed slightly.
“I would never dare deceive you, noble Princess Moria.” She tried to appear as respectful as possible, avoiding Moria’s crimson eyes. “Everything I’ve said is true.”
As expected, this woman hadn’t come for her at all. From the start, Moria’s real aim was to extract information about Sista through her.
All those seemingly flattering words from earlier were just to lure her into a trap.
But… something still felt off.
If that was the case, Moria could have chosen another time, or sent someone to contact her in secret. Yet now, she’d openly ‘snatched’ her off the road, and even had her Blood Slave deliver breakfast to Sista in her place.
It was as if she wanted Sista to know on purpose.
Why would that—
Bang——
Before Su Ling could finish her thought, the tea parlor door was flung open with a crash, startling both women inside.
Looking up, Su Ling saw a face dark with anger, glaring furiously at Moria.
“Ah, sister, is there something you need?” Moria withdrew her hand from Su Ling’s face, turned, and greeted Sista at the doorway with a gentle smile.